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Let’s face it: not everyone likes the people their children choose to marry. And when you’re planning to pass on your assets to your children, you may wonder whether their spouse will receive those assets, as well.

If you’re taking the first steps thinking about this process, you’ve probably already learned the difference between a will and trust. They are both legal documents that an individual can use to outline what happens to their assets when they die, but there are some differences between the two.

Just moved to McHenry, IL? Wondering if your out-of-state will is still valid?

Rest assured – it usually is.

As long as your will meets the requirements for a will that was executed in Illinois, your will should be valid, or enforceable in Illinois.

The process of dividing up assets in a divorce can be tricky at times. After all, a marriage is a life built together, so dividing up assets can be like breaking your life into pieces.

It’s normal to have questions about what can be divided and how during a divorce. If you have a trust, you might wonder if your spouse can claim it in your divorce.

The CDC reports that roughly 2% of infants born in the United States every year are conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Techniques for ART include fertility treatments in which both eggs and embryos are handled, including artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, cryopreservation (genetic material frozen for later use), and surrogacy.

But how do these techniques factor in when you’re building your estate plan for your family?

A medical power of attorney is a legal document that designates an individual, referred to as the attorney-in-fact, to make healthcare decisions on your behalf should you become unable to do so due to incapacitation. Unlike a general power of attorney, a medical power of attorney is durable, meaning it remains in effect even if you become incapacitated. This is critical in healthcare situations where swift and informed decisions often need to be made.

Life rarely turns out as expected, which is why you should carefully plan out how your estate will be distributed after you pass away.

Learn from the mistakes of these famous celebrities who died without an up-to-date estate plan. If they had had a will or trust properly set up, it could have saved their families a great deal of heartache, time, and legal fees.

There’s a lot of talk about healthcare coverage, but not much about having protection in place in the event that you aren’t able to make your own decisions – or in the case that a loved one can’t. Wondering what would happen if you were incapacitated, or even worse, if your spouse, child, or parent were in need of someone to make decisions for them, can be terrifying. Fortunately, there is an answer: a medical power of attorney.